If you can't experience Civilization II--one of the best computer strategy games of all time--on a Mac or PC, this faithful PlayStation adaptation is the next-best thing. Gameplay is turn-based and takes place on a world map that's broken down into an octagonal grid, with players controlling a civilization from its inception in 4000 B.C. all the way through A.D. 2020. You "win" the game by either conquering the world or being the first civilization to successfully colonize space; how you go about this--in terms of the social, economic, and political strategies involved--is entirely up to you. This freedom in decision-making, along with a good amount of game options and the fact that the "world" is randomly generated each time you begin a game, adds extremely high replay value. While Civilization II has been slightly pared down and doesn't look as good as it does on a computer--the graphics here are muddy, and text can be hard to read--the customized PlayStation control interface works surprisingly well. (Keyboard and mouse controls generally don't translate well to the PlayStation controller, to put it mildly.) --Joe Hon Pros: Faithful adaptation of one of the best computer strategy games of all time Control interface has been customized for the PlayStation Extremely high replay value Cons: Muddy graphics; hard-to-read text